This invention relates to cigarette cases for holding standard size packages of cigarettes of three different lengths, and in particular to a case having a simple, inexpensive mechanism for readily converting the case to contain in suitable fashion packages of "regular", "king size", or "100 mm" cigarettes.
As is well known, packages for these three types of cigarettes are for all practical purposes of substantially identical dimensions with the exception of the overall length. Accordingly, a case dimensioned in height to contain the longest cigarette package will also be suitable for housing the two smaller size packages as long as the upper end of either is positioned at the same level near the open end of the case thus providing convenient access to cigarettes in the usual manner. In the trade cigarette cases have heretofore been adapted for housing regular and king size packs by supporting the bottom at different levels so that either package may be disposed at the same height relative to the open end of the case. One such example is the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 3,395,787, in which means are provided for telescopically sliding and positioning a movable bottom wall supported by the side walls of the casing into one of three positions.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,081,867 granted to the present inventor, a cigarette case is disclosed for accommodating two different size packages and in which a pivotable shelf member is provided to swing to and from its operative pack-supporting position. The present device is designed to accommodate still another package size and utilizes two support members of right-angled L-shaped configuration in a novel manner and so that each member can be readily flipped into place and the effective depth of the case altered to engage a package bottom for suitable positioning of the outer end relative to the open end of the case.
The principal object of this invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive and effective means for modifying a cigarette case to accommodate all three lengths of cigarette packages currently being sold in the United States.